07 August 2009

Steve Richards rides to the rescue this morning in the still free on-line Indy and puts the arguments as to why Mandy will not become Labour leader:

In what context could he make his move towards the leadership? This is where the difficulties begin. When the new political season kicks off next month, he will be central to Brown's attempt at a comeback. Having made his decision that Labour's best bet is to buttress Brown, Mandelson would undermine his own credibility by knifing the Prime Minister, standing down as a peer, fighting a by-election and then taking part in a leadership contest as a newly-elected MP. Apart from anything else, there is no space between now and the election for such a time-consuming process, with the tottering Government on hold after a traumatic act of regicide as Mandelson becomes an MP in order then to become a candidate. I am exhausted outlining the sequence. It will not happen.

At long last a commentator brings some common sense to the PM4PM non-debate. As Richards says, “there is no space between now and the election for such a time-consuming process”. Absolutely spot on.

The only person that can end this nonsense is Mandy himself, but as I discussed after his now famous Newsnight interview, that is not likely to happen at present. Mandy will only end the speculation when he has finally resolved in his own mind whether to back Brown until the election. This he is unlikely to do until after the party conference. In the meantime this summer silliness will continue.